The Story of the Bryant and May Matchwomen

The Story of the Bryant and May Matchwomen, is a talk by Louise Raw, author of a book on the same name, who will reconstruct the events behind the 1888 walk out by four hundred women and girls employed by Bryant and May.

The event will be hosted at Hamilton Town House Library (Cadzow Room), 102 Cadzow Street, Hamilton, ML3 6HH from 19:00 - 20:30, November 29th 2012.

The Book Week Scotland event is free, but to reserve a free ticket contact Sarah Liddell Hamilton at Townhouse Library, tel: 01698 452122.

(With thanks to Alison Spring)

Chris

Scotland 1750-1850 - 5 weeks online Pharos course, £45.99, taught by Chris Paton from 2 NOV 2012 - see www.pharostutors.com
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)

Aberdeen archives' closure for stocktaking

Note from Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives' Facebook page:

Please note that both offices will be closed to the public from Monday 19th November until Friday 30th November inclusive for our annual stocktaking. A limited email and telephone enquiry service will operate, and no appointments will be made. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.

For more on the archive visit www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/education_learning/local_history/archives/loc_archiveshomepage.asp

(With thanks to the archives)

Chris

Scotland 1750-1850 - 5 weeks online Pharos course, £45.99, taught by Chris Paton from 2 NOV 2012 - see www.pharostutors.com
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)

1922 Irish military census now online

As announced on this blog last week (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/1922-irish-military-census-to-be.html) a military census carried out in 1922 detailing all those fighting for Michael Collins' new Free State Army has now gone online at the Defence Forces Military Archives website at www.militaryarchives.ie.

Indexes to the collection are expected in the very near future - at present you will need to search via an interactive map. The Irish Times has an article about the new collection at www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/1113/1224326525225.html

(With thanks to Aidan Byrne)

Chris

Scotland 1750-1850 - 5 weeks online Pharos course, £45.99, taught by Chris Paton from 2 NOV 2012 - see www.pharostutors.com
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)

Remembering the Senghenydd Disaster

The National Library of Wales is hosting a talk on Wednesday 5th December at 1.15pm, about the Senghenydd pit disaster of 1913 (see www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=344&cylchwhat11/12c), in which 439 men and boys were killed in Wales's worst ever mining disaster. The speaker is Neil Evans, who will be looking at postcards issued at the time.

Admission is free, but ticketed - visit www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=1510&date=1&tx_ttnews[calendarYear]=2012&tx_ttnews[calendarMonth]=12

(With thanks to the National Library of Wales)

Chris

Scotland 1750-1850 - 5 weeks online Pharos course, £45.99, taught by Chris Paton from 2 NOV 2012 - see www.pharostutors.com
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)

FFHS writing competition

Last year the Federation of Family History Societies (www.ffhs.org.uk) ran a competition in which they asked folk to write about their most interesting ancestor. The winners were to Who Do You Think You Are? Live where Nick Barratt presented them with prizes, and where they met representatives of the companies that had sponsored the competition.

The FFHS is running another competition this year, this time asking folk to write about their sporting ancestor! To give an example of the sort of thing they're looking, the FFHS's Philippa McCray has sent me a tale written by Steve Benson, the organisation's publicity officer, which describes his grandmother's take:

My maternal grandfather William Turner born 2nd March 1896 was quite a fit man in his youth. He went off to World War 1 (after lying about his age) with the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment and after training became a sniper. His shooting skill was excellent and he apparently represented the regiment at competitions at Bisley. On his 21st birthday while sniping in France near the front line he was blown out of a church spire by enemy artillery and badly wounded by shrapnel. But we are not concerned with this aspect of his sporting ability.

After the war he resumed his trade as a Master Butcher and slaughterman. His hobby on a sunny afternoon was to go Crown Green Bowling at the local social club over a couple of pints of bitter. He was a member of the bowling club there for many years. The club also had a very active fishing section which he was a member of for many years until he eventually fell out with the committee because they banned him from entering the annual fishing competition because he won every year!

Towards the end of his life (he died on 26 September 1968) I accompanied him on the train from Preston to Plymouth to my Uncle’s house, where he was going to stay for a few weeks. It was the night Sir Francis Chichester arrived back after sailing around the world single-handed.

He was also a bookie’s runner when this was highly illegal in the days before Betting Shops were legalised. I was regularly sent up to the Bookmakers each week with the clock full of bets for the horses and dogs and in those days I was on about three shillings pocket money a week but the bookie always gave me ten shillings if I took the clock up to his office. To a 12 year old this was a fortune at that time. I don’t think we can count a bookie’s runner as a category of sportsman though!

If you can come up with something similar, the FFHS would love to hear from you! The closing date is 31st December - full details can be found on their website at www.ffhs.org.uk/tips/competition2012.php.

(With thanks to Philippa)

Chris

Scotland 1750-1850 - 5 weeks online Pharos course, £45.99, taught by Chris Paton from 2 NOV 2012 - see www.pharostutors.com
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)

More British Library Newspapers news

FindmyPast in the United States has confirmed that the British Newspaper Archive holdings will be made available in due course on its website at www.findmypast.com. The full announcement is at http://blog.findmypast.com/2012/11/09/update/.

One other major repercussion of the BNA - the original British Library 19th century Newspaper Collection website at http://newspapers11.bl.uk/blcs/ will soon be off to meet its maker. The following announcement is on the site:

"We regret to inform our users that the British Newspapers 1800-1900 site will be permanently shut down in the near future. From 11/07/2012 00:00:00 GMT forward the site will not accept any new subscriptions"

Whether this will have any affect on the institutional subscriptions to the site (e.g. through libraries or universities) is not clear, but if I hear any more I will update as and when!

(With thanks to the UK Family Tree magazine @familytreemaguk on the 19th C site, and @findmypastcom for the first part)

Just one other wee snippet - this is my 2000th news post since the blog started last year! I've only just started... :)

Chris

Scotland 1750-1850 - 5 weeks online Pharos course, £45.99, taught by Chris Paton from 2 NOV 2012 - see www.pharostutors.com
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)

Closure of Matheson Dome at ScotlandsPeople Centre

From Monday December 3rd the ScotlandsPeople Centre's Matheson Dome is to be closed permanently to public access. The centre's website (www.scotlandspeoplehub.gov.uk) states that "All access to the Search Rooms in General Register House from the archivist's garden will be via the ramped west side entrance".

(With thanks to Chris Halliday @Scotsgen)

Chris

Scotland 1750-1850 - 5 weeks online Pharos course, £45.99, taught by Chris Paton from 2 NOV 2012 - see www.pharostutors.com
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)

The Genealogy Roadshow seeks participants for next series

RTE's The Genealogy Roadshow is returning to Irish screens next year, and producers are seeking people with interesting stories to be a part of it. The series is hosted by Derek Mooney, who with the help of John Grenham, Turtle Bunbury and Nicola Morris tries to unearth interesting family tales.

If you fancy taking part contact genealogy @ bigmountainproductions.com or telephone Ciara on 048 30834046 to find out more.

There's more in the Cork News newspaper at http://thecorknews.ie/articles/let-genealogy-roadshow-team-uncover-your-family-secrets-8099

Chris

Scotland 1750-1850 - 5 weeks online Pharos course, £45.99, taught by Chris Paton from 2 NOV 2012 - see www.pharostutors.com
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)

Original Record adds maritime and military records

New additions to the Original Records (www.theoriginalrecord.com):

1597-1601
Salford Portmote
The earliest surviving records of the portmote of the borough of the township and manor of Salford in Lancashire were transcribed and edited by J. G. de T. Mandley and published by the Chetham Society in 1902. The court was held after Easter and Michaelmas each year. The record usually starts with a list of jurors, sometimes with a general suit roll. Officers are appointed in the autumn court - borough reeve, constables, miselayers, burleymen, alefounders, scavengers, and overseers for the pump. Where a freeholder had died since the previous court, an inquiry was made as to his or her heir. There are presentments of minor offences, particularly affrays and selling ale contrary to statute.

1756
Europeans at the Siege of Calcutta
S. Charge Hill, Officer in Charge of the Records of the Government of India, compiled this comprehensive list of Europeans and others in the English Factories in Bengal at the time of the siege of Calcutta, including those who died in and those who survived from the Black Hole. One of his main sources, the returns of payments made by the government of Bengal to 'European sufferers', is printed as an appendix - September 1759 pages i-iv; October 1759 iv-vi; November 1759 vi-vii; December 1759 vii-viii; February 1760 viii-xii; March 1760 xii-xiv.

1800
Subscribers to Thomas Sanderson's Original Poems
Thomas Sanderson's 'Original Poems' was published in Carlisle in 1800. The list of subscribers is arranged geographically: London; Tunbridge; Gloucester; Epsom; Exeter; Nottingham; Northampton; Cambridge; Oxford; Hertford; Carlisle; Penrith; Longtown; Hesket Newmarket; Wigton; Keswick; Durham; Newcastle; Maryport; Dublin; Edinburgh; York; and Liverpool, each including surrounding areas; Madras; and the West Indies. Where more than one copy was ordered, the number is given after the subscriber's name. At the foot of the list is this note: 'The Author cannot take leave of his friends without warmly thanking them for the generous encouragement they have given to the subscription. Their benevolence does them the more honour, as it was called forth in the favour of a Person who cannot make them any better return than mere professions of gratitude.'

1835-1844
Merchant Seamen
At this period, the foreign trade of ships plying to and from the British isles involved about 150,000 men on 15,000 ships; and the coasting trade about a quarter as many more. A large proportion of the seamen on these ships were British subjects, and so liable to be pressed for service in the Royal Navy; but there was no general register by which to identify them, so in 1835 parliament passed a Merchant Seamen's Registration Bill. Under this act a large register of British seamen was compiled, based on ships' crew lists gathered in British and Irish ports, and passed up to the registry in London. A parliamentary committee decided that the system devised did not answer the original problem, and the register was abandoned after less than two years: the system was then restarted in this form, with a systematic attempt to attribute the seamen's (ticket) numbers, and to record successive voyages. The register records the number assigned to each man; his name; age; birthplace; quality (S = seaman, &c.); and the name and official number of his ship, with the date of the crew list (usually at the end of a voyage). Most of the men recorded were born in the British Isles, but not all. The system was still very cumbersome, because the names were amassed merely under the first two letters of surname; an attempt was made to separate out namesakes by giving the first instance of a name (a), the second (b), and so on. In this volume the register is restarted from 1840 onwards, with the mariner's previous number (if any) being entered in the column after his birthplace. In the event of it becoming known that a man had died during the course of a voyage, that information is written across the remaining empty columns. This volume (BT 112/11) covers mariners whose surnames start with Ca (and McCa).

1847
Deaths and New Superannuation Allowances: Public Officials
The annual return for 1847 of 'Allowances or Compensations granted as Retired Allowances or Superannuations in all Public Offices or Departments' lists new compensation allowances (usually for loss of office under reorganization), superannuation allowances (for retirement), and temporary allowances (for sickness or accident) arising during the year; and the cessation of such allowances by death (or occasionally because the individual has been re-employed, or the allowance has remained unclaimed for six years). The format of the returns varies from department to department, but generally the details of a new allowance give full name or surname and initials, office, age, length of service, affliction, and rate of allowance. The lists of deaths give full name or surname and initials, office, date of death, and the amount paid in the year. Throughout the death returns the column 'annual amount' means 'the amount actually paid out during 1847', rather than the yearly amount of the allowance.

1899
Naturalizations
The Home Office issued monthly lists of aliens to whom Certificates of Naturalization or Readmission to British Nationality had been granted by the Secretary of State under the provisions of 33 Vic. cap. 14 and been registered in the Home Office pursuant to the act during each previous month. These notices, from January to December 1899, refer to naturalizations from December 1898 to November 1899.

1931
Imperial Service Medal
Awards by king George V of the Imperial Service Medal to officers of the Home Civil Service. The names are arranged alphabetically by surname and christian names, with office or rank in the service.

(With thanks to the site)

Chris

Scotland 1750-1850 - 5 weeks online Pharos course, £45.99, taught by Chris Paton from 2 NOV 2012 - see www.pharostutors.com
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)

Scottish civil servants who fell in the Great War

A new book has been released telling the story of 79 Scottish Civil Servants who lost their lives in the Great War. We Will Remember Them has been written by government employee Neil MacLennan, and recalls the stories of those listed on four memorials in the Scottish Government’s headquarters at St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh.

Further details are available at the Government's website at www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2012/11/remembrance09112012?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

(With thanks to the Government's Twitter account at @scotsgov)

Chris

Scotland 1750-1850 - 5 weeks online Pharos course, £45.99, taught by Chris Paton from 2 NOV 2012 - see www.pharostutors.com
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)